The first Internship I was able to set up through YPA, was at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery. Below you can find a summary of my experience during my internship as well as a link to their website.

Internship 1

     I had the opportunity to intern with Julie Grafmeyer, a Nurse Practitioner at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery. Throughout the weeks of September 27, till October 14, 2021, I was able to go inside the office at both the Upper Arlington and Easton locations. Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery offers 6 different offices with different services inside each of them. They offer the Wellness Center, Medspa, Coolsculpting, Lasercenter, Hair restoration, and Dermatology. I was lucky enough to be in the Wellness Center where they offer many different services including hormone replacement therapy.      

       While I was shadowing Julie at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery, l learned many things. I was able to see the everyday schedule for a Nurse Practitioner in an environment that is more office-oriented. Julie and I had spent most of our time in her office talking about my questions, discussing the career, and going over different skills that I possess that can help me pursue and thrive in this environment. We discussed how my communication and people skills, organization skills, and time management skills would make me successful in a medical career. I was also able to see each skill being used in this career as I watched her interact with guests and perform different tasks. 

       After having the opportunity to intern at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery, it has taught me that I don't necessarily want to be a Nurse Practitioner in a wellness center. I am still interested in the career of a Nurse Practitioner, I have just realized that personally, I want more action in the day. In the wellness center, it runs off of a schedule and appointments. I think that I want a career where it is more fast-paced with less paperwork as an office nurse. Based on my interactions with Julie, I want to continue learning about similar jobs in a different environment/setting to eventually figure out where I will not only love what I do but will be able to thrive and be successful with my different skills and knowledge. 

       Thank you, Julie and Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery for allowing me an inside view of this career. It has taught me many things about myself and about a career that I am interested in. I have appreciated the opportunity and am grateful for what I have learned and will be able to take away from the experience to help me grow as a person.

The second internship I was able to set up through YPA was at Orthopedic One. Below I have a summary of my internship experience as well as a button you can click below to learn more about Orthopedic One through their website. 

Internship 2

       I had the opportunity to intern with Dr. Sochacki, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Orthopedic One. Orthopedic One offers many different services inside their different office buildings. They offer Therapy Services, Orthopedic Surgery, Non-Operative Musculoskeletal Care, Imagine and MRI, Sports Medicine Outreach, and Durable Medical Equipment. They also include many doctors and surgeons who are specialized in different fields of care such as; Hip, Knee, Neck & Spine Surgery, Shoulder, Sports Medicine, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, Elbow, Join Preservation, Physical Meditation & Rehabilitation, Orthopedic Trauma & Fracture Care, and General Orthopedics. Throughout the weeks of November 1st to December 9th, I was able to go inside the office at multiple different locations and shadow Dr. Sochacki while he met new patients, performed surgery, and followed up with postoperative appointments. 

       I learned many things during my time at Orthopedic One. I was also able to see many things that, as a kid, I never would have thought I would be able to see as a high school student. I got to learn about different skills that are needed to succeed as an Orthopedic Surgeon. Dr. Sochacki, whom I shadowed for the 6-week internship, is specialized in Patellofemoral Disease, Instability, and Tendinopathy, Rotator Cuff Repair, Shoulder Instability, Elbow Ligament and, Tendon Repair and Reconstruction, Anatomic and Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement, Partial Knee Replacement, Shoulder, Elbow, and Knee Trauma and Fractures, Gluteus Medius Repairs, Hamstring Repairs, Joint Preservation, ACL and Complex Knee Ligament Reconstruction, Cartilage Restoration, and Meniscus Repair and Transplantation. After getting to intern at Orthopedic One, I was able to deepen my knowledge of the medical field as I talked with Dr. Sochacki and Katie, his assistant. 

       After my internship at Orthopedic One, I learned that I am very interested in this part of the medical career. While there were many aspects of the job that I liked, there were some aspects of this job that I didn't like. However, in YPA, we learned about the sacrifices that you will have to make in the workplace. Not everything is going to be exactly what you want so I am eager to learn more about this career to see if this is something I should pursue considering the fact that I do like many aspects of this career. This has taught me that if I did look into this career, I would want to focus on a different specialty than what Dr. Sochacki does. I did like the athletic injuries and getting to work alongside different sports, but I discovered that I am not as interested in knees or shoulder replacements. 

        Thank you, Dr. Sochacki, Katie, the other surgeons, nurses, assistants, and Orthopedic One for allowing me to have an inside view of the medical career. I am truly grateful for this experience and the opportunity that I had. It has taught me many things about myself and about a career that I am interested in and I am excited to continue learning about the medical field in the future.